The Macross Elysion de-folds in front of Sigur Valens and the Windermerean fleet just as it executes a fold operation. The Macross Elysion fires its cannons and manages to hit Sigur Valens before the ship folds away. Freyja is worried, and Mikumo tells her they only have to focus on their singing. Sigur Valens de-folds near Ragna and immediately comes under fire from NUNS forces. A NUNS officer reports to Ernest that they haven't heard the song of the wind yet, and Ernest sees that their shot was effective. He orders all forces to launch since the ship can't fold again for another 40 minutes. Windermerean engineers examine the damage to the sound wave system, which was left unprotected due to priority being assigned to the fold system. Roid asks Berger to reboot the amplification system and is told it will take some time. Roid then reports to Gramia that they can't spread the song of the wind without the amplification. The Aerial Knights realize they have to hold out until the song can be used, and just then there is a de-fold from the Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma Flights. Arad orders his people to keep the Aerial Knights busy. Kaname tells Freyja to stay composed because they might need to sing at any moment. Maran calls Arad and tells him that because Xaos' operation failed, NUNS will proceed with the plan to nuke the Protoculture ruins. Chuck wants to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible so that the bomb doesn't have to be used. The team comes under attack from Keith's Draken III, so Mirage decides to make her Siegfried the decoy to keep him occupied. Keith gives chase but then manages to dodge simultaneous rear attacks from Hayate and Chuck. A Lil Draken chasing Chuck is destroyed by Mirage, and one chasing after her is subsequently destroyed by Hayate. Sigur Valens descends into Ragna's atmosphere and approaches the Protoculture ruins. Walkure's singing of "Forbidden Borderline" can be heard when the Aether de-folds inside Ragna's atmosphere. Keith chases Hayate and wonders if this is all the skill he has. The reaction warhead detonates and destroys the Protoculture ruins, along with multiple fighters in close proximity. Marianne is swept away while trying to safely lock her siblings up inside RagNyanNyan. Hayate's Siegfried is critically damaged by the shockwave, forcing him to eject and use his EX-Gear. However, his EX-Gear malfunctions, so Mirage saves him and returns him to the Aether. Mirage rushes over to check on Hayate, and he tells her that she could've died. She answers that she'd be a poor instructor if she let her student die. He hugs her in thanks, which surprises both her and Freyja. Sigur Valens emerges unharmed thanks to its barrier, and Roid sees that the Protoculture ruins absorbed the bomb's energy and disappeared. Gramia is disgusted that people would taint their own planet. The ruins de-fold in the spot where the bomb went off, and Maran orders a retreat now that they have the data. Sigur Valens descends and links up with the ruins. Heinz tells Gramia that he's going to sing the song of the wind. Gramia tells him to sing in the name of the true king, Rudanjal Rom Mayan. Sigur Valens transforms as Heinz's song begins, and it immediately causes a Var outbreak with the NUNS pilots and the nearby civilians.

Arad informs Delta Flight that they have to abandon Ragna because civilians are being infected with Var. Hayate vows to protect Walkure as they sing, and Freyja teases him about being shot down. Mirage points out that Hayate doesn't have a plane, so he launches in Messer's Siegfried. The Island ship takes off, and civilians begin to return to normal when they hear Walkure sing. Gramia mocks the enemy for retreating, and Arad orders Delta Flight to help protect the Island ship as it escapes. Keith sees Hayate flying in Messer's Siegfried and declares that he's not worthy of that plane. Several Delta Flight units give chase to Keith, but he's able to evade them in turbulent wind. Heinz's singing increases in strength, and the members of Walkure realize it's going to block out their song. Bogue fires missiles at the Aether and then blasts the glass protecting Walkure with a beam cannon. Sigur Valens finishes synchronizing with the ruins, and Gramia orders an all-out attack on the Island ship. The Macross Elysion rapidly descends in the atmosphere and uses a pinpoint barrier to absorb the blast from Sigur Valens before crashing into the sea. Mikumo has difficulty standing, and Freyja's rune glows brightly as she sings "Forbidden Borderline" and jumps off the Aether to reach Hayate. The rest of Walkure sing back up for Freyja, and Hayate spots Freyja. Keith, Heinz and Gramia feel Freyja's power, and Hayate's plane loses a hand while trying to catch her. Mirage swoops in to rescue Freyja and tells Hayate to fly to his heart's content. Hayate faces Keith and finds that he can read his movements now. Mirage rescues Freyja, and Walkure's singing heals the civilians. The Macross Elysion emerges from the water and transforms into storm attack mode. It's hit from a blast by Sigur Valens and returns fire with the Macross Cannon. Hayate dodges Keith's attacks, and Mirage wonders if he's flying differently due to Freyja's singing. Hayate and Keith damage each other, but Hayate manages to attack again and shoot him down. Roid orders everyone to ignore the enemy and focus on the ruins. The Macross Elysion retreats to space and picks up Delta Flight. The Macross Elysion, the Ragna Island ship and several other ships fold out of the system. Roid places his coat over Gramia's body and announces that he's taking control and declaring the completion of the Starwind sector.

Commentary

The first half of the series ends with a significant victory for Windermere as they conquer Ragna and force Xaos and the Island ship to retreat. Ernest's parting shot at Al Shahal bought them some time, but just barely enough for the Macross Elysion to make a dramatic entrance and save the Ragna Island ship. As expected, the cowardly NUNS detonate the reaction bomb, which has no impact. Hayate's plane is destroyed in the blast, and in classic Macross tradition, he inherits the senpai's plane and takes the fight back to Keith. Freyja gets fired up with her singing, which powers up Hayate's skills and allows him to shoot Keith down. Of course, it'd be better if he could achieve this on his own without Freyja's singing. The attack from the Macross Cannon mortally wounds Gramia, and Roid takes the opportunity to seize control of the Windermerean forces. He's been at odds with others over his vision about Protoculture technology, but now he seems poised to have things his way.